Are All You Straight Guys Like This Chapter 46

At that very moment—

On the fifth-floor food court, An Yu was holding his phone, one eyebrow raised as he read the message Ye Ran had just sent.

“What’s up?” Jiang Yun, with his arm slung over Yu Ting’s shoulder, asked around the popsicle in his mouth.

“Ranran and Shen Shi are coming over,” An Yu replied.

“Coming over?” Jiang Yun blinked. “Coming where?”

Yu Ting rolled his eyes. “To find us, obviously. Where else?”

It was lunchtime, and the food court was bustling with the scent of shrimp hotpot and homestyle dishes. Plenty of couples were already eating, chatting sweetly over steaming bowls.

An Yu had just been shopping downstairs, planning to buy a new set of pajamas. Jiang Yun and Yu Ting were upstairs playing video games on the sixth floor. They’d run into each other by chance and decided to have lunch together.

Now that Ye Ran and Shen Shi were on their way, An Yu had no intention of following their suggestion to eat at a buffet. Thinking for a moment, he said, “Let’s do hotpot.”

“Sure! I know a good one here, the broth and ingredients are all fresh,” Yu Ting said, pulling out his phone to look up the address. “It’s just around that corner. Let’s go grab a seat first. When Shen Shi and Ye Ran get here, we can start eating right away.”

“Alright…” An Yu was about to follow when, by chance, he caught sight of a familiar silhouette.

“Hm?”

He stopped walking. Far off, amid the crowd of the fifth-floor food court, two tall, slender figures were approaching. People turned to look as they passed, though no one dared step forward.

“No need to go to the hotpot place,” An Yu said, a smile touching his voice. “They’re here.”

As he spoke, Ye Ran also spotted him.

“Ah Yu!”

He jogged over quickly, pulling off his mask. His face, a little flushed from heat, gleamed faintly with sweat. Already pale, his skin looked even fairer in contrast; dark hair, soft red lips, and faint moisture at the corners of his eyes—

A face that clearly looked like it had just been through something intimate.

Jiang Yun and Yu Ting, both straight as iron, noticed nothing. They greeted Shen Shi casually. Only An Yu clicked his tongue twice, grinning as he lowered his voice, “Baby, why are you still wearing a mask?”

Ye Ran blinked, seeing no need to hide anything in front of him. “I just did something really amazing.”

“What thing?” An Yu asked, intrigued.

Ye Ran’s eyes sparkled. He didn’t say it outright but looked visibly relaxed. “I’ll tell you tonight.”

An Yu caught on immediately, giving him an unrestrained compliment: “…D*mn, you really did it. Good for you!”

While the three of them laughed easily together, Yu Ting and Jiang Yun exchanged confused glances.

“What’s going on?” Yu Ting muttered, wisely keeping quiet and nudging Jiang Yun to be the one to ask.

Shen Shi walked over slowly, lifting his eyes. Under the bright light, his features were as striking and cool as ever, dark eyes steady and unreadable but there was a faint heaviness in that look.

Yu Ting began to understand why so many people avoided him, anyone would be scared seeing that expression.

Of course, Jiang Yun wasn’t scared.

“What’s wrong, bro?” Jiang Yun finished the last bite of his popsicle and leaned in. “You and Ye Ran had a fight?”

“Hey,” he said, gleefully adding fuel to the fire, “me and my girlfriend fight all the time, it’s fine, just buy her a bag and it’s over… Oh wait, Ye Ran’s different. Judging by his look… hm, maybe you should buy him a schoolbag.”

“……” Shen Shi glanced at him, a little impatient. “Why are you still here?”

Jiang Yun: “?”

Shen Shi: “Aren’t you going back to Haicheng?”

Jiang Yun: “???”

Huh? Weren’t you the one who kidnapped me here?!

Yu Ting laughed from the side and urged them, “Alright, let’s go to the hotpot place.”

Shen Shi made a sound of agreement and looked up. Not far away, Ye Ran was walking shoulder to shoulder with An Yu, smiling quietly while listening to him talk nonstop. Though they were close, it was obvious theirs was a friend’s kind of closeness.

The hotpot restaurant was indeed popular.

After they arrived, they waited almost five minutes for a table.

The place had a Sichuan–Chongqing style décor: red lanterns embedded in the walls, lighting bright but not harsh, each table set in a semi-enclosed booth with half-drawn bamboo curtains that hid the faces of the diners inside.

When they sat down, Ye Ran obediently took a seat next to Shen Shi. The space was big enough not to feel crowded. An Yu sat across from him, beside Yu Ting and Jiang Yun.

The air-conditioning was turned up high.

A waiter brought over a bottle of chilled sour plum juice.

Ye Ran took off his coat. Shen Shi had already poured him a glass. The cool mist condensed on the outside of the cup. Ye Ran drank half of it in one go, squinting comfortably as the heat left his face.

“Want more?” Shen Shi asked.

Ye Ran shook his head. “No.”

Across the table, Jiang Yun and Yu Ting were discussing what to order. For the soup base, they chose half spicy red oil and half tomato with mushroom broth, something to suit everyone’s taste.

Ye Ran, An Yu, and Shen Shi didn’t like spicy food; Yu Ting and Jiang Yun couldn’t live without it. After ordering, Yu Ting asked, “So where did you guys go today?”

Ye Ran took another sip of his sour plum drink. “We went to see a movie.”

Jiang Yun was curious. “What movie?”

“Wronged or Not,” Ye Ran said.

“Huh?” Yu Ting almost burst out laughing. “Wait, you two went to see a crime film on Christmas?”

“Exactly! Who picked that? Isn’t my goddess You Lan’s new film Love in Youth out? You skipped the romance and went for a crime flick? Hahaha!” said Jiang Yun.

Ye Ran looked embarrassed for a moment and murmured, “I picked it.”

He couldn’t help it, Wronged or Not just sounded hilarious.

Shen Shi slowly looked up at the two laughing their heads off, pale, strong fingers idly turning the porcelain cup.

Then An Yu spoke up, unhurriedly: “What, is there a problem?”

Jiang Yun & Yu Ting: “……”

Jiang Yun & Yu Ting: “…………”

Cr*p—forgot Ye Ran had connections!

Their laughter died instantly. They both bowed their heads to sip water, fully aware they shouldn’t provoke those two petty little gays. “No problem, no problem. I’ll go watch it tomorrow too.”

The soup base arrived, carried on wooden trays by a few waiters.

Beef tripe, duck blood, shrimp paste, thinly sliced beef and lamb, all freshly cut and served. Once the broth boiled, they began eating and chatting.

Outside the window, light snow fluttered down.

Inside, the restaurant buzzed with voices and steaming heat.

The Christmas spirit filled the place. An Yu took a swig of cold beer, then sneakily poured a bit for Ye Ran. Ye Ran smiled at him. He raised an eyebrow. “Baby, trust me, just a sip, it’s awesome!”

Ye Ran had been coaxed into drinking before, but his alcohol tolerance was still terrible.

He took one sip and stopped. Shen Shi picked up his glass, finished the remaining beer, and refilled it with sour plum juice.

“Tch.”

An Yu rolled his eyes. The only reason he kept finding chances to get Ye Ran to drink was to train his tolerance a bit.

After all these years, the progress was negligible but with Shen Shi around now, at least he no longer had to worry about Ye Ran getting drunk and passing out by the roadside.

Since it was Christmas, the restaurant gifted each table a platter of watermelon.

A waiter gently lifted the bamboo curtain and placed the fruit plate on their table. Ye Ran, feeling a bit full, had just picked up a slice when a hesitant voice came: “Ye Ran?”

He turned his head. The curtain lifted, and a tattooed guy with an earring looked him over with an unreadable expression. “It is you, huh?”

The guy’s gaze swept over everyone at the table then lingered meaningfully on An Yu, who sat across from Ye Ran.

“You out on a date with An Yu?” he asked.

…

An awkward silence fell.

Yu Ting: “Pff—cough cough cough—”

Jiang Yun: “Pff—cough cough cough—”

An Yu: “Pff—cough cough cough—”

Yu Ting: “?”

Jiang Yun: “???”

What the h*ll—you too?!

Wait… you and Ye Ran actually do have something going on?!

An Yu was completely dumbfounded. He almost spat beer in Ye Ran’s face, thankfully, he turned just in time.

Staring in disbelief, he finally recognized who was standing outside the curtain. “…Zhang Zichu?”

…Godd*mn it!

He cursed silently.

As if it wasn’t bad enough that Zhang Zichu showed up the day he got back to the country, now he had to run into him again at a restaurant?!

Is Beijing really that small?

Better hurry up and expand it!

“Yeah, it’s me,” Zhang Zichu replied, arms crossed. Under the silence and stares from everyone at the table, he asked An Yu, “So what’s going on? You two aren’t on a date, what, is this a breakup dinner?”

Otherwise, why weren’t they sitting together?

Ye Ran: “……”

Ye Ran: “Pfft—cough cough cough—”

He couldn’t hold it in, nearly choked on a mouthful of watermelon.

Only then did Zhang Zichu’s eyes finally land on him. Earlier, he’d deliberately avoided looking at Ye Ran. Now, seeing him, his attention snagged on the boy sitting beside Ye Ran, his looks were far too striking: handsome features, cold temperament. Then his gaze shifted to the boy next to An Yu, gentle and refined, with a scholarly air.

Lastly, his eyes fell on Jiang Yun, whose expression was completely blank.

A few seconds later, he understood.

“Them two…” he pointed at Shen Shi and Yu Ting, while An Yu’s face twisted like he’d seen a ghost, and Zhang Zichu gave a low, mocking laugh: “They’re your new lovers, huh?”

“And this one,” he jabbed a finger at the terrified Jiang Yun, pausing, “he’s probably straight.”

After speaking, he looked once more at Ye Ran, who was still stunned. Pushing down his irritation, he sneered inwardly—

—All these years, and Ye Ran’s tricks still haven’t changed.

…

…

When Zhang Zichu finished saying all that, he gave a short, derisive laugh and walked off without hesitation.

Leaving everyone at the table staring at each other in utter bewilderment.

A few seconds later, Jiang Yun was the first to react. He clenched his fists in outrage: “D*mn it… d*mn it! What does he mean probably straight? Can’t he see the righteous aura all over me? Is he blind?!”

Yu Ting, trembling, set down his teacup, dazed with fury. “What, what does he mean new lover? I’m a perfectly straight man—he, he actually dares to slander me like that…”

An Yu shot to his feet, furious, like he was about to chase after him. “F*ck, that idiot Zhang Zichu, what’s that supposed to mean? Me? With that kind of new lover? Is he insulting me???”

Yu Ting swallowed back a mouthful of blood. “You…”

Jiang Yun patted his back to help him breathe, glaring at An Yu through gritted teeth as he comforted him: “Forget it, you know how it is, he’s always looked down on the two of us.”

Yu Ting: “Pfft—cough—”

Godd*mmit, you shut up too!

The whole table seethed in helpless rage, furiously eating watermelon.

Only Ye Ran didn’t move a muscle. Amid the cursing and shouting from An Yu and the others, he cautiously glanced sideways at Shen Shi from the corner of his eye.

He swallowed hard, realizing Shen Shi’s usually calm and distant expression had darkened into something much deeper.

Sensing his gaze, Shen Shi lifted his eyes with a cool, indifferent look.

Clack.

The porcelain cup touched down on the table.

Everyone instantly fell silent.

Even Ye Ran flinched.

Then, in a tone soft yet eerily composed, Shen Shi asked, “What does ‘date’ mean?”

***

Ten minutes later.

An Yu, parched from talking, finally finished explaining everything. The waiter, seeing how seriously everyone was listening, thoughtfully brought over five tubs of popcorn. Jiang Yun ate while listening, and finally couldn’t help complaining, “That Zhang Zichu is seriously messed up.”

“I agree,” An Yu said coldly. “The guy’s paranoid and twisted, thinks everyone in the world is into him. Back then, we were young, easily annoyed, and Ranran had no other choice but to pretend to be my boyfriend to drive him off.”

“Did it work?” Yu Ting asked, cutting straight to the point.

“It did,” said An Yu. “We faked it really well. Everyone knew we’d grown up together and were always hanging out. So when they heard the rumor, they believed it right away and Zhang Zichu stopped bothering Ranran after that.”

“Your teachers didn’t step in when it got that bad?” Jiang Yun asked.

An Yu gave him a look like he was stupid. “Our school was famous for being open-minded. Over 90% of our students went on to university. Once, someone even confessed to their crush live on the school broadcast. The worst punishment they got was writing a 3,000-word reflection.”

“That didn’t cause chaos?” Yu Ting asked incredulously. “Our high school was strict as h*ll. Forget dating, boys and girls couldn’t even get too close without being warned by the dean.”

“Not at all. Our school was very selective, everyone there had their own goals. You might find it surprising, but honestly, there weren’t that many people actually dating.”

While they were talking, Ye Ran’s hand, resting on the sofa, moved slightly. Nervously glancing at the others and seeing no one paying attention, he hooked his pinky around Shen Shi’s.

Shen Shi’s lowered lashes lifted slightly. He gave him a faint side glance.

“Are you mad?” Ye Ran asked uneasily.

Shen Shi didn’t answer instead, he asked, “The last one?”

Ye Ran immediately remembered the question from the cinema. When Shen Shi had asked whether, besides the ticket seller and the ‘little older brother’, there were any other people. His face flushed with embarrassment. “…This one’s definitely the last.”

“Really?” Shen Shi’s gaze dropped, fingers curling back around Ye Ran’s, voice mild but his eyes dark. “Baby, are you sure there’s nothing else you’re hiding from me?”

A chill ran down Ye Ran’s back. He knew exactly what Shen Shi was referring to, the fake relationship with An Yu.

“…Nothing else,” he said softly, shaking Shen Shi’s hand, and, remembering the moment by the emergency exit earlier, lowered his voice in a plea, “I really didn’t have any other choice back then.”

“That Zhang Zichu—” Ye Ran frowned, clearly annoyed, skipping over him. “Ah Yu hated him too.”

Shen Shi’s tone sharpened slightly. “What did he do?”

Ye Ran pressed his lips together and answered honestly, “He always said strange things to me, and even followed me home.”

That was what angered him the most.

Back then, he’d been too young to realize how frightening it was to be followed. After all, the gate guards always kept records, and there were cameras everywhere in the villa district. But thinking back now, this Zhang Zichu… really was twisted.

And those bizarre things he used to say—

Just remembering them gave Ye Ran a headache.

Shen Shi’s expression was unreadable. After a pause, he suddenly said, “Baby, have you noticed—”

Ye Ran: “?”

“—that your admirers all have something wrong with them.”

Ye Ran: “……?”

His eyes widened a little. He quietly protested, “You have lots of admirers too!”

At the start of the semester alone, Ye Ran had seen several people confess to him in person. But before he could use that argument further, Shen Shi said calmly, “Mm. Did any of them pester me afterward?”

Ye Ran opened his mouth: “……”

D*mn it—no, they really hadn’t.

He finally understood what Shen Shi meant.

The style of Shen Shi’s admirers went like this—

“I like you.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“Okay. Goodbye.”

The style of his own admirers was more like—

“I like you.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“Huh? No way!”

Even after Shen Shi came out, those gutsy little gay guys who dared to stop him on the street to confess would back off right after being rejected, venting online afterward at most.

But people who actually dared to keep clinging to Shen Shi? None.

Ye Ran’s confidence instantly deflated.

…Was people’s aura really that different?

Was he just too easygoing?

At that moment, Shen Shi spoke again. Seeming to sense Ye Ran’s self-reflection, he leaned in slightly, meeting his gaze. There was a trace of amusement in those dark eyes as he asked softly, “Are you mad?”

“No,” Ye Ran said blankly, “…but why though?”

He tilted his head, his pale cheeks flushed pink from the hotpot’s steam. His eyes were moist and gentle, the outer corners curved softly, he just looked like someone who would always be kind and easy to talk to, no matter the situation.

Shen Shi had seen him reject people before. Speaking slowly and gently, cheeks flushed, apologizing with a soft “I’m sorry,” eyes glimmering like wet glass, as if anyone could see themselves reflected in them.

As if anyone could have him.

Shen Shi looked away, something unreadable flickering deep in his dark eyes. In the end, he just pinched Ye Ran’s fingertips and said, “Don’t think about it.”

Ye Ran blinked. “Hm? But—”

“You already have someone,” Shen Shi said lightly, his tone even but with weight. “I want to see who dares to dig into my corner.”

Ye Ran shut his mouth at once, his ears turning red. He nodded obediently.

Across the table, An Yu poured a glass of sour plum juice and handed it to him. Ye Ran accepted it, the light outlining his dark eyes and long lashes. There was a faint smile on his lips as he chatted quietly with An Yu.

…No wonder he’d agreed to pretend to be his boyfriend so easily.

Shen Shi looked at him, rubbing his fingers together slightly.

So, it wasn’t the first time.

***

The meal was nearly over.

Ye Ran went to the restroom.

The hotpot restaurant’s restroom was spacious and scented with incense.

He rinsed his face at the sink and dried himself off with paper towels, feeling much better afterward.

Just as he was about to leave, he caught sight of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye. His eyelid twitched, and he turned to go—

“Ye Ran?”

Too late.

The guy who’d just stepped out of a stall raised an eyebrow at him. A bit of a tattoo was visible on his right neck, a totem, and a silver earring gleamed on his right ear.

Zhang Zichu crossed his arms and gave a short, derisive laugh. His gaze slid from Ye Ran’s soft eyes to his tightly pressed lips and stopped on the faint mark on his lower lip. His breathing quickened. “You—”

Ye Ran looked puzzled. “?”

Zhang Zichu strode toward him, his tone taut with suppressed emotion. “You really are… you really are…”

Ye Ran warily took a step back, wanting to run, but he could feel the anger and resentment burning in Zhang Zichu’s stare.

He forced himself to stop, deciding it was better to talk this out clearly.

But after all that “you really are, really are—”, Zhang Zichu finally spat out one sentence:

“—You’re such a flirt!”

Ye Ran: “……”

Ye Ran: “…Huh?”

Here we go again.

Zhang Zichu’s nonsense had started up again.

Looking completely bewildered, Ye Ran avoided his gaze. “How am I a flirt?”

Zhang Zichu let out a cold laugh, like a scorned victim. “You know perfectly well!”

Ye Ran’s head throbbed. “Say it clearly.”

Completely provoked, Zhang Zichu suddenly stepped forward. “You tell me! Back in high school, you obviously liked me but you still ended up with An Yu! And now, you clearly don’t like that new boyfriend of yours, but you let him meet An Yu! You really—!”

“Wait,” Ye Ran dodged back, getting angry himself. “When did I ever like you?”

What kind of nonsense was that?

Zhang Zichu said coldly, “Right, you didn’t like me.”

Ye Ran sighed in relief—

Only to hear him continue, “You had a secret crush on me, didn’t you?”

Ye Ran: “……”

Ye Ran: “…………”

Ye Ran froze. “What did you just say?”

“Don’t deny it,” Zhang Zichu said through gritted teeth. “If you didn’t have a crush on me, why did you blush every time you saw me in high school?”

Outside the door, Shen Shi leaned against the wall, lifting his eyelids slowly, listening calmly.

Ye Ran: “?”

Ye Ran: “I was hot.”

Zhang Zichu: “Hah! Your eyes always look at me like you want to say something but hold back!”

Ye Ran: “……”

Ye Ran: “I’m nearsighted.”

Zhang Zichu: “Nonsense! You were always looking my way in class!”

Ye Ran: “…sigh.”

Can’t I glance outside the window in class?

He said weakly, “I glanced sideways… anyway, I really wasn’t looking at you.”

Zhang Zichu’s chest heaved violently. “Stop making excuses! I know those were things from our past. It’s normal that you don’t want to admit them. Don’t worry, I won’t tell your new boyfriend any of this. Fine, I’m leaving.”

He stormed toward the door with a dark expression, but Ye Ran stepped in front of him as they brushed past each other.

Zhang Zichu froze mid-step, furrowing his brows. “What are you doing?!”

Ye Ran spoke softly, timidly, “I just want to clarify things with you.”

“Hah,” Zhang Zichu snorted, pulling his lips into a smirk. “What’s there to clarify? You’re not going to admit anything anyway.”

Under his mocking gaze, Ye Ran spoke slowly and clearly, word by word: “Zhang Zichu, I have never liked you. I never had a crush on you.”

“I have a boyfriend now,” Ye Ran continued. “I really like him. I blush when I see him, and I get shy around him. If I have a crush on anyone, it’s only him. Do you understand?”

The boy in front of him froze as if turned to stone.

Outside the door, a figure nonchalantly straightened, the dim restroom light outlining his tall, upright frame. The shadow partially covered his lips, which curved into a faint, almost imperceptible smile. He turned and walked away first.

Inside the restroom, waiting for a reply that didn’t come, Ye Ran tilted his head. “Hey…”

His gaze caught Zhang Zichu’s face, streaked with tears, and he panicked, stumbling backward.

“You… you’re crying?”